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This is my dirty fandom shameblog where I flail about 90s space opera and sometimes write fic and make art.
I swear I am going to start a seminar in How to Exist in Public. We do not block our coworker from getting their food out of one microwave while waiting for our food in the other microwave. We do not walk four carts abreast through the grocery store, nor do we park our cart next to an end cap and wander off to another aisle. We do not start making a left turn we will not be able to complete, thereby bringing the entire intersection to a screeching halt. We do not stop dead in the middle of the hallway to answer a text. We live in a society.
Once when I was in undergrad, someone described something as “problematic” in class and our professor was like, “That’s cool, but ‘problematic’ doesn’t really mean anything. It means that the thing you’re describing has a problem, and in and of itself that’s not bad. Art, especially, should always have problems, or else it’s not interesting and not art, either. It sounds like you’re trying to say that this is bad, but you don’t want to say ‘bad.’ Is that right?”
So from then on whenever one of us called something problematic, he would make us talk it out until we could name the “bad” thing we were hinting at. In this particular class, 7/10 it was some type of oppression, and the remainder was like, “I’m uncomfortable because this is very new/confusing/pushing boundaries that made me feel safe.”
Once we stopped calling things “problematic” and stopping at that, class got way more interesting and... we all had to say, like, “that’s racist” or “that’s misogynistic” or “ew capitalism gross” out loud, which a lot of us had never done in a classroom before. Or we had to be like, “Uhhh... I’m not sure what’s so bad?” and confront our own beliefs and that was maybe even more useful.
Anyway. Whenever I see the word problematic, I can’t help but think of this professor being like, “Good starting point, now let’s get specific.” I think when we have to commit to saying “that’s ___” it requires a lot more careful thought about the truth and impact and complexities of whatever we’re claiming. Sometimes there really is some bullshit afoot, and also sometimes it’s art, and it should be full of problems, because that’s what art is.
If any part of your plan involves the words "nobody could be that stupid", please be prepared to be proven wrong at any minute at a moment's notice. Pay in mind that the person determined to prove you wrong may already be aware of this assumption, and is already approaching your current location at an alarming speed.
In 2011 I attended an event called Bmore Fail, in which entrepreneurs in Baltimore talked about their failures and what they learned from them.
What I learned is that there is an inflexible rule about how people interact with systems. If your system would work perfectly if people Just Would, and yet they Don't, then your system is bad and you should feel bad. Systems must be built with an eye toward "will people actually do this"?
Recycling was a thing when I was a child. (The 70's.) In my home in New York State, you could carry recyclables to a recycling center. Nobody did. Now in 2024 Baltimore there is a trash truck that comes every week to pick up my recyclables, and I and my neighbors fill our cans with objects that can be recycled, because a system was developed that was easy for busy people to do, and there's a lot of social pressure to do it -- but the social pressure wouldn't exist if it wasn't easy to do. Only the most crunchy granola people bitched at you if you didn't recycle in 1979, when it required a lot of effort. Now it is considered kind of on par with spitting in the street or leaving a dirty diaper on the diaper changing table in the bathroom instead of throwing it out, if you don't recycle.
Your job as the system creator is to make it as easy as possible for people to do the right thing, and as hard as possible to do the wrong thing. This is why web forms have data validation (but too much data validation actually makes the forms harder, so hit the spot in the middle.) And if you want people to adopt social change, whether it's environmentalism, accepting gay people, or whatever, make it as easy as possible. And don't guilt people about not doing it until it's as easy as possible; instead phrase things more like "wouldn't it be cool if". It's not the fault of the individual that they can't get things done in a bad system. Fix the system.
if users regularly fuck up using a tool you made, and your answer is "you're holding it wrong", the next question you should ask is "why did i make this tool so it's easy to hold it wrong?"
And then you're tech support begging the development team to change something very small that would make the user experience so much better cause they made the tool too easy to hold wrong and development will whine at you because they're very busy with the back end stuff and hey you're the customer facing side why can't you just make them, and no you can't just make them, please development please I'm begging you make the tool less easy to hold wrong.
No, the onus is on whoever is building the system. Most of the time that's not the gay people themselves, because people who are marginalized are rarely in a position to build systems that affect their own marginalization; that's what allies with privilege are for.
A small thing. If you want to support trans and nonbinary people, then on government forms, if they require gender and you can't get around it, allow "other"; better still, don't require gender. If you're building a medical system, and the patient's gender is M, do not gray out all the "female" problems he might be presenting with on the grounds that a man can't possibly have menstrual problems, be pregnant, or have issues with his uterus; likewise if the patient presents as F, don't make it impossible to enter a diagnosis of prostate cancer for her.
Don't set up validation rules that prevent someone with gender M from having a husband. Better yet, let "husband" and "wife" both be covered by the term "spouse", because that is inclusive of non-binary spouses as well.
Because I'm in IT, I think in terms of IT systems. But there are government systems and insurance systems and financial systems and all sorts of systems out there, that should be set up so that a gay person will be able to navigate it as easily as a straight person, and a straight person will see that the available options don't privilege them at the expense of everyone else... a subtle reminder that no, you're not the center of the universe and gay people exist. Why do you think the right wing fights so hard against there being Spanish on forms that are also in English? You'd think, it doesn't harm anyone using the form for there to be both Spanish and English. But they know, the presence of Spanish reminds English speakers that the world doesn't center around what works for them; other options exist. That's what they want to get rid of, the subtle reminder that someone besides them is important too.
This is a discussion about how to make systems work in some way other than If People Would Just, making them easier to promote the result you want, so I'm not sure how you even got "the onus is on gay people to be more palatable", and I get the feeling you don't understand the context of the discussion. I am not even sure how you could devise a system that incorporates "gay people should make themselves more palatable" because that sounds exactly like a thing that People Should Just... meaning, you're relying on humans to behave in the exact specific way you need them to for your system to work, and the whole point of this conversation is that doing that dooms your system to fail. Gay people will never Just Make Themselves More Palatable To Straights, as a cohort, so if your system for getting gay people to be better accepted relies on If Gay People Would Just, your system will fail.
Unfortunately, reading comprehension is also one of those things that If People Would Just, so posting about things on Tumblr is also a system that's doomed to fail. :-)
I feel as though what drives most rude / inconsiderate behavior I experience IRL on a day to day basis comes from a place of having this unearned and unnecessary sense of urgency in situations that aren't actually urgent. I think if more people became aware of this completely unnecessary sense of urgency in situations that actually aren't urgent, it might make co-existing and sharing public spaces with other people a lot easier and more tolerable.
That text post that's been making the rounds that goes something like "Omg you made it to the same red light as everyone else but faster and more dangerously and recklessly, should we call nascar? Do you want a medal?" summarizes exactly what I'm trying to talk about.
It's like when I have to change buses at one of the bigger and busier bus stops, and the people who get off the same bus as me shove and elbow past me to get off before me, and then shove and elbow past anyone even slightly in their way on the way to the bus they're switching, only to end up on the same bus as all the people they shoved and elbowed with several minutes to spare before it leaves and plenty of open seats left.
I think this unnecessary urgency a lot of people feel in their day to day lives drives a lot of bad behavior. I'm not saying I'm innocent of this, I've felt it too in plenty of situations that didn't call for it, and regrettably was less kind than I should have been as a result. But I try to be aware of it, and always try to ask myself it it's really as urgent as my lizard brain is trying to tell me it is, and even if it was that urgent, does that still justify unkind behavior?
Is shoving or elbowing another person aside going to make the difference between whether or not you make it to the bus before it pulls away? (hint: at least where I live, most of the time that's a no because the drivers usually won't leave if they see people from another bus heading towards their bus). Is shoving and elbowing people aside in a crowded grocery store going to make any noticeable difference in how quickly you get your shopping done?
Does a few extra seconds of time actually justify cruel and unkind behavior towards people you perceive as slightly inconveniencing you?
" The names of the demons are Artemy, spawned by the Heat of the Earth, and Danil, begotten by the cold Celestial Flame..."
"...from my window I saw each one of them bring a butcher down within the flaming Suok Ring. They are fighting each other now, but neither will win the fight..."
i really like this thing where websites will have separate "log in" & "sign up" buttons and if you click "log in" it takes you to a sign-up screen anyway so you have to click "i already have an account" and then it will ask if you want to sign in with your facebook account or with instagram or linkedin or deviantart or whatever, and if you choose "username & password" it asks if you want to put in your username or use your thumbprint, and once you put your username & password it emails you a confirmation code, and once you put in the code it says "do you want to give us your phone number for future sign-ins? do you want to sign up for facial recognition? do you want to give us your bones? give us your fucking bones?
I referred to something as a "real Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra moment" in conversation with someone who has never seen TNG, and let me tell you, that was a real Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra moment
Phew, finally I managed to get this thing out of my mind. Yes, it's been plaguing (hehe, plague) me ever since I made that 'life-affirming sex on day 11' post.
My first time translating from my native language writing so it's probably clunky, but I tried
On the Brink (5387 words) by ProfessorBonca
Fandom: Мор. Утопия | Pathologic
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Artemy Burakh/Daniil Dankovsky
Characters: Artemy Burakh, Daniil Dankovsky
Additional Tags: Video Game: Mor Utopiya | Pathologic Classic, Haruspex Route (Pathologic), a bit of bachelor route because the day 11 quest is part of the plot, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Fear of Death, Life-Affirming Sex, Mild Blood, Gunshot Wounds, Making Out, Mutual Masturbation, Frottage, Fingers in Mouth, Clothed Masturbation
Summary:
Eleventh day of the epidemic in the Town-on-Gorkhon. Artemy Burakh, having crossed the threshold of death, passes the trial his inheritance had in store for him. Meanwhile, Bachelor Dankovsky faces an equally dangerous ordeal. Two Lines, two destinies, passing through death's grip. Can they help each other find their way back?
“What had to happen. I was at the Abattoir. I died. And now I am the Warden.”
Daniil’s expression hardened in an instant, his whole body shot through with arresting tension. His searching eyes peered into Burakh’s, looking for something more than this alarming, terrifyingly short and simple answer. Disbelief mixed with worry in his gaze. As well as morbid curiosity.
“…Died?” – Daniil asked, choked. But then a barely audible laugh slipped between his words. “What, am I talking to a spirit right now?”
“I am no spirit!” Artemy’s words rang out, punctuated by a low growl which made the Bachelor flinch, like a wounded beast.
The image of the Foreman stood before Artemy’s eyes, his voice echoes in his ears. Dead One. Spirit. But once the crimson veil of fury receded, only Daniil remained before his eyes. The sight of his retreating figure, the sharp sound of his fearful footsteps stabbed Artemy right between the ribs. A pain more horrid than one brought by the sudden flare of anger. As Artemy tried to close the distance between them, the Bachelor’s hand reached for the inside of his shirt – same place where his revolver would be hidden in the inner pocket of his coat. Grabbing his hand, as if really trying to prevent a shot from being fired, Artemy pulled it roughly to himself. Dankovsky’s attempt to break free sent a sickening shudder through his body. But with his rough motions Artemy only meant to put Daniil’s palm unto his chest. Right above the place where his heart still gave out loud beats.
“I am no spirit,” he repeated, but in the place of anger now was only a plea. “I am no phantom. No illusion from the Steppe”.
"i want a dislike button on ao3" so you want less fanfic. even if you don't think you want less fanfic you want less fanfic. because when people start getting dislikes on their fanfic they will want to write less fanfic. hope this helps <3
for fanfic? for things people put their hearts and souls into for free? for creative works where there is literally no reason to downvote a fic except to just be mean? where negative reception (and even just unwanted constructive criticism) could potentially kill someone's passion for their fic or even their motivation to ever write again? You're right! They're actually not that bad!
They're terrible! And it would be a terrible idea to ever implement them.
if you dislike the fic just fucking leave you're not being forced to finish something you're not enjoying. back button. if you're feeling especially hateful you can even block authors now.
Downvote buttons work (to the extent that they work at all) on platforms like Reddit and Quora because the downvote is not a communication to the person who wrote the post, but a community consensus on the value and relevance of the post. These platforms have systems to display the "best" posts at the top of the dash, and giving readers buttons to tell other readers that a post is relevant and interesting or off topic and offensive is how they generate that ranking.
A kudos on AO3 is NOT a ranking system, it is a communication to the author, it's a "thank you" button.
Note that it's called "kudos" not "like" or "upvote". You can sort by kudos if you wish to find the fics that the author has been thanked for the most.
But there is no ranking system or algorithm, there is no "best fics first" button, and the kudos button is for the author, not the other users. So a downvote button would serve no practical purpose.
Culturally, as an archive and also as the product of a community with a gift economy, AO3 does not promote the concept of "better" or "more valuable" or "more relevant" fic. The OTW (the nonprofit that runs AO3) and the community of fans who created and comprise the OTW and who use the archive believe very strongly that ALL fanfiction is valuable and worth preserving, and understand that tastes are varied and subjective. The tag system and search operators allow users to find the fic they think is worth reading without having to rely on the consensus of a community that may not share their tastes and priorities.
Because of this, a "best fic first" feature that a downvote/upvote system exists to support would be antithetical to the site's mission and contrary to the values and needs of the community the site is for.
Without a "best" ranking system, all a downvote button would be is a "no thank you" communication to the author.
And I'm sure you can see why setting up a system to email an author with "these people wanted to let you know real quick that they don't like your work" would be assinine.
There are at least three dislike buttons on AO3. They aren't actually labeled "Dislike", though; you have to know the AO3 lore in order to recognize them.
One of them is labeled "Back". If you're fancy like me, you'll even have a physical button on your mouse for just this purpose. The other two are labeled "Mute" and "Block".
